Sana Azim; Maldivian model in NY

Words by Imthishal

I have been modeling on and off since I was about 14 at the beginning of high school, and I wasn’t really taking it seriously at the beginning, I was very much behind my artistry and intellect, and I dismissed modeling a lot and then when I was 19, I got a really big job and I was booked in billboard. I made some money and I thought it was time to take it seriously, so I could support myself and my livelihood with it.

My mum is actually a fashion designer, I grew up in Oakland, California but my mum had a store in San Francisco. So, I kind of grew up watching her create clothes and build up her business along with all the amazing women who worked by her side, so fashion has always been really inspiring for me because of my mum.

I take a lot of pride in where I come from and the culture, I was brought up in. That influences everything I do including what I do in modeling. I just want to be someone who can represent my people; my community in Maldives, my community in Panama, my community in Jamaica, my community in Brooklyn. I hope to represent all of these folks in what I do. I definitely want to continue to work with folks in Maldives, with stuff like this magazine, I want to keep my community back home as involved with my career and life goals as much as possible.

Accessibility is a big part of modeling, being active in the west is definitely beneficial to me. It is a privilege to be in the industry that I am in and be in New York city because this is a center for those kinds of things, globally. But at the end of the day, it is really about building network and making sure that you are proud of the pictures. You have to hire a photographer, take some pictures, build a book and make it something you are proud of. Start sending it out to agencies and see how they react, that is what I did.

I had a benefit of growing up around a lot of people who worked in the industry. My mother agent, who I would say is my manager, communicates with my other agencies and helps me communicate my needs, if I don’t feel comfortable saying my needs, or if there is something I don’t know how to say. I have known her since I was 8 years old, since I moved to New York. She really guided me in knowing who to talk to and knowing what rooms to get my name in. The messed-up thing about this industry is that it is really important to know people, it is all about who you know. If you can get your name into the right rooms than you are likely to be more successful.

When I was first signed, I was 19, in Miami. I was there for about a year and I really did not enjoy the market. I thought I didn’t make a lot of money in Miami because my look didn’t really appeal to the work they were doing. So, when I get back to NY, I immediately asked my mother agent if she could start looking for NY agencies for me to talk to. She hired a photographer to take some shots of me, and then she sent out my images to multiple agencies, a few of them responded, and asked for interviews so they could see you in person. Some of them said, well you’re too short, dye your hair and come back, things like that. Finally, I was matched with an agency that I really love and takes really good care of me.

On a work day I’ll probably go to sleep around 11, if my shoots at 9 and it’s in Manhattan I have to leave the house at 7, hop on the train, head to the shoot and then hair and make up a few outfit changes, and then I’ll probably head home and relax. On days I have casting, I usually don’t start work until 12, so I have an easy morning. When I get ready, I don’t put any make up on, just make sure my face is moisturized. Maybe I’ll use some mascara, but I don’t wear anything that would distract from my natural look. You want to walk in as a blank canvas, so even when you’re doing self-takes sent into casting, it’s best to be completely yourself. Ill then make my way from casting to casting, sometimes I’ll have 3 to 4 in one day. So, I’ll be hoping around the city a little bit, that can get stressful, and you can get lost. It is like America’s top model, its very much like that, the running around from casting to casting and the stress, it’s very true.

Sometimes I’ll use facemasks the night prior and I make sure I get at least 8 hours of sleep, because when I don’t I go to set with really baggy under eyes, and it makes my job harder, and it makes the make-up artist’s job harder. It makes everyone’s job harder when you aren’t centering your wellbeing and your health. Make sure you eat breakfast, because its not often that they will have breakfast on shoots, sometimes it’ll just be coffee and you don’t want to be there with an upset stomach, not being abele to give your best self.

I dress very extrinsically; it depends on the day. If I am working, I’ll wear a lot of black and tight-fitting clothes, so casting directors can see my body type. I love wearing baggy jeans, and cargos. I am a hoodie person, it’s fall right now and I was waiting for fall, I very much enjoy throwing my hood on and being cozy.

I wash my face with African black soap and I tone it with a salicylic acid toner because I have some hormonal acne. I honestly don’t know much about skin care, but this is just something that has worked for me. I dampen my face and I throw like an oil serum, but I make sure my face is wet when I use it because for some reason it makes it less oily. Finally, I seal off all that with some hyaluronic acid.

I have worked with Harper’s bazar, Off-white, Adidas, Saks fifth avenue, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Pat McGrath and countless others. It feels great, now it’s kind of just feels like work, but I do love it and I do recognize what a great privilege it is to have this as a job and everyday its absolute gratitude, but it is tiring. It’s a lot of pressure and it gets to you sometimes, so it is mixed emotions, but it is overall gratitude. I mean, we all have to work hard for what we’ve got right?

I love Mas Bai, Garudhiya and Maja. I really love Maja, and Mas Kaashi as well.

A lot of you already know this but, be yourself to the highest degree and don’t let this industry, who is so stuck in their ways, mess with your brightest and your lights. If you are bringing something to the table that a group of people don’t like, it doesn’t mean it is not special or great, it just means it is not for that table. We got to build our own table.

So many, I am definitely not anywhere that I want to be in my career yet. I plan on continuing to grow and level up, and exceed whatever I have done the year prior. Project wise I would definingly love to take some time and be behind the camera, rather than in front of it. if I can ever find the time to actually sit down and work on the projects I have in mind. It might have to wait until I have done and retired from modeling, and ready to start really centering filmmaking. Filmmaking has been my life goal for a long time, I want to create documentary films, that’s the most experience I have, so far, I have made two. I would say I am also interested in realistic fiction; being able to tell the stories of the community we live in, the voices that need to be heard, and passing the mic to those folks.

Keep your head up and remember who you are, do not let the fact that your physical appears is being held at such high value, but don’t let that effect where your self-value stems from. Always make sure you are looking within yourself and finding that joy, and not putting all your eggs in to this modeling basket, because this industry is mean and they are not as forward thinking as we hope them to be in this time and age.